Voter Education Project

Voter Education Project (VEP) raised and distributed foundation funds to civiw rights organizations for voter education and registration work in de soudern United States from 1962 to 1992.[1][2] The project was federawwy endorsed by de Kennedy administration in hopes dat de organizations of de ongoing Civiw Rights Movement wouwd shift deir focus away from demonstrations and more towards de support of voter registration, uh-hah-hah-hah.[1]

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Starting in 1960, de expwosion of student-wed activism of sit-ins, and Freedom Rides during de Civiw Rights Movement created a pubwic rewations and foreign powicy embarrassment for de Kennedy administration, uh-hah-hah-hah. In de earwy 1960s, Asian and African nations were wiberating demsewves from generations of racist cowoniaw ruwe, and bof de U.S. and Soviet Union were fiercewy competing wif each oder in a cowd war struggwe for de support of dese new nations. The worwdwide news stories, photos, and TV images of racist brutawity, burning buses, and powice suppression of Bwack civiw rights undercut de State Department's effort to convince Asian and African nations to awign demsewves wif Free Worwd camp in internationaw affairs.[3]

Bewieving dat de fwood of negative news stories about race-rewations in America were caused by de wave of student protests, President John F. Kennedy and Attorney Generaw Robert F. Kennedy urged civiw rights weaders and organizations to engage in voter registration rader dan nonviowent direct-action demonstrations. Unofficiawwy, dey convinced severaw non-profit foundations to fund voter registration work in de Souf.[4] The Taconic, Fiewd, New Worwd, and Stern Famiwy foundations agreed to contribute significant funds. To raise, administer, and distribute de money, de NAACP, CORE, SCLC, and SNCC formed de Voter Education Project (VEP) under de auspices of de non-profit Soudern Regionaw Counciw (SRC).[1]

Fowwowing de Awbany Movement, de VEP had registered cwose to 500 voters in Awbany, Georgia widin a period of two weeks. The group struggwed in its earwy period and in earwy 1963, de SCLC was awmost suspended from de organization due to inadeqwate reports about de group's funding.[1] By de end of 1964, however, de VEP distributed cwose to $900,000 (eqwaw to $5,700,000 in 2006 dowwars) to civiw rights groups doing voter registration in de Souf and awmost 800,000 new Bwack Soudern voters were added to de rowws.[1] Fowwowing de passage of de Voting Rights Act of 1965, it was reported dat VEP-funded registration drives succeeded in registering an additionaw 175,000 new bwack voters.[1]

The VEP hewped make great inroads in de registration of voters, especiawwy in ruraw areas.[1] Contrary to de initiaw hopes of de Kennedy administration, de VEP did not reduce de viowent reawities of resistance to integration found in de Souf and highwighted by news stations around de worwd. In de Deep Souf, white resistance to Bwack voting rights turned out to be even more viowent dan deir opposition to integrating wunch counters and bus depots. Instead of diminishing, news stories of powice repression, brutawity, bombings, and murders increased as white powiticaw weaders, de Ku Kwux Kwan, and White Citizen Counciws used arrests, terrorism, and economic retawiation to prevent Bwacks from voting.